I think what you call your amp/dac after you bluetac'd them together or it's those people that called the cops on you for walking into their house to tell them that their headphones were bad and tried to get them to listen to your IEMs that cost less then their beats.
@@MortisObscura I've listened to old beats headphones and the new ones and unless you like bass cannons I wouldn't pay more than $5 for any of them. Just my opinion.
Yeah. For some of the best "made in china" stuff, why not ship to the rest of the world, they already ship halfway around the globe. South america needs some more competition, Edifier just destroys everything else price-wise here, because everything else is so ridiculously expensive.
@@PeterowskySame with most of Europe. You want some Klipsch? Better book a hifi store listening session, oh wait they don't have them, order online and pay double the US price, wait for stock, and hope you like the sound. Meanwhile, you can buy Edifier from a hyper market. On the other hand I can't complain, UK companies are on top of their game and have plenty of stock at good prices.
Damn. Years later, I finally purchased these after you mentioned the new ones, and damn, these are fun! Can't explain the sound size from such a small box. Enjoying.
I just got a pair for my computer, Topping dac and Fosi ZA3 amp, it sounds like listening through headphones but without having something on your head, unfortunately I can't crank them up where I live without upsetting all my neighbors, but up close at low volume they sound fantastic
@@stevenswall I agree speakers will have a greater impact. I was just trying to answer the question. I did however noticed a difference between a small nobsound amp and the Dayton 150 (i bought both) on the same speaker set.
These will take three times the power while greatly increasing dynamics if crossed over at 100 hz with a steep slope of 18 or 24 db/octave. They will sound much better too because the little 4" midbass driver won't have to concurrently reproduce 40 hz and the critical midrange, which will vastly reduce intermodulation distortion (IMD), especially at higher volumes. In other words, get a sub! Just like Zeos explained to you in previous reviews of the MB42 vs. MB42X, the addition of a well engineered crossover made a huge difference in the sound reproduction, especially in the critical midrage. Why? This improvement was largely due to a reduction of IMD caused by asking the tweeter and midrange driver to reproduce frequencies outside their intended capabilities. This same principle applies when asking a 4 or 5 inch speaker to reproduce the lowest octaves while simultaneously asking it to reproduce the critical midrage (500-4000 hz). It might reproduce 40 or 50 hz, but not without distorting or causing artifacts in other areas of the audio spectrum that become more noticeable as the volume increases. Everything is a tradeoff or compromise in audio and asking a little 4 or 5 inch driver to do bass duty while reproducing the midrange is far from ideal and not without fidelity issues. There is much fidelity to gain byond reduced distortion alone by utilizing a good subwoofer and crossover network that allows the midrange/midbass drivers to focus on that region exclusively, even at lower listening levels, such as: wider/deeper soundstage, better imaging, more natural tones and timber, less ear fatigue, revelation of subtleties otherwise not rendered, increased dynamics, and much greater power handling capability. All of these positive attributes are due in part to higher damping factor (faster rise time and fall time of the speaker motor) and greatly reduced IMD of the cone and voice coil. You just have to experience it to believe it.
What's the easiest way to cross these over? Say you have just a turntable, a vintage receiver and a powered floor sub. You buy the RB42S, what's the next step?
@@theax40 @Chris Axelson if your receiver can't do crossover itself then it seems to me the easiest solution is to upgrade your receiver to a modern avr that can handle the crossover. If that's not an option you might have to push the signal through the subwoofer so that it can do the crossover (if your sub can do that). The last option is to buy a miniDSP and an amplifier. The miniDSP could handle the crossover but this option is potentially the most expensive depending on pricing in your area.
Thank you for the great review- you sold me on a pair of them and they are amazing! How the heck does a set of 4”drivers make that much clean low end?!?!!! Awesome stuff. Thank ya
I was skeptical... he wasn't BSing.. I was a bit dissapointed with the MB42x and had to EQ them to get them close to what I wanted. These though... man... I'm very very happy with them. Out of the box they sound so good. Extremely satisfied.
Taught a class of 15 yesterday about the fundamentals of audio reproduction and critical listening. The RB42's were on display and wowing folks. "Wait, that's from the little guys?" "Is there a subwoofer on?" "How much are they again?" "When you say inefficient, what does that mean?" I was also powering them with a 150w Vintage receiver, and they were *eating* up the power. Heed Zeos's words on giving them enough *clean* power.
As an aside, they were next to the KEF LS50 Wireless -- and the differences were not as stark and obvious as the price disparity would lead you to believe. Take that for what you will ;)
@@ryanrowlandson9914 I'd recommend at the very least giving them 60W. My buddy got them and his 130W per channel receiver needed to crank out some serious power to bring these to life (hard to say but I'd assume around 90W). Mind you that was a living room
@@ryanrowlandson9914 I would guess between 40-60 W, the topping mx3 seems like a minimum requirement, if I were you I would be looking for something a little bit more powerful. (but hey the topping is at least cheap). Quick look gained the lepai lp1601s 200w class d (It's probably 100 W), but there aren't that many respected reviews so you would really have too look if someone did a good testing/review if it's clean amp. Or something else from Lepai they seem to be getting respectable. If this video says something, then the Lepai LP1601S should power them at desk fine ruclips.net/video/iO-MVAnA9f4/видео.html
@@MisterKardos Well the smaller the speaker the more power you will need to play loudly... Like exponentially more and the obvious issue is the more power you use the less it'll be clean. With today's advancements we can easily achieve great sound with a 4in driver but most people could use a class or two about speakers. The kef are soemthing else entirely still on a whole other level.
Kudos to Zeos for the Micca RB42 review. I ordered a pair and got them last week and they are certainly the real deal. Unbelievably great performance for a shoestring budget price. Have a sub connected and it is audiophile quality. They are on back order now on Amazon so I was lucky to order and receive them within 2 days. Thanks Zeos.
@@tcolemanii1971 It depends on the sub you have and the amplifier or receiver you are using to drive the speakers. On a vintage system without a dedicated sub out port, the easiest way to set up a subwoofer in that situation is if there are line in and line out connectors on the sub. There speaker wires go into the line connectors and a separate set of speakers connect to the sub via the line out connectors.
Damn it. I was holding off for a long time even after Joe N Tell's review to buy these. Your review tipped me over the top to try them out. I don't need them. Damn it 😅 Update : OK. These are just stupid.! Obviously it's only capable of what a 4" can do but I'm dumbfounded. Definitely best purchase this year. So nice to listen to and the bass sheesh. They're sitting on top of my subs and the vibration is going right through them hahaha. I have them in a rather large living room and they're doing fine. Not going to get to concert levels here but for a medium to small sized room, these are all you need for a two channel set up. Good call Z. I didn't agree so much with the Jamo 803's but these, YES. They are special right out of the box. Little copper leaf pennies for sure. Happy listening 😁😁😁
@@NVSTRZ34 I had them hooked up on a Loxjie A10. I've since moved them into a second bedroom and they're powered by a Yamaha RX-A660 which is rated 80 watts two channels at 8ohms I believe. The Loxjie was just fine though
How large is your living room. I'm thinking about some RB42's or MB42x's but my current living room is fairly long and skinny so I sit almost 20 ft away from my speakers.
Just received my set and these are extremely impressive. For only $130 and how small these are? That low end and balance holy crap. I've got these paired to SMSL AD18 as do all TV sound bar for a relatively small room and I get enough oomph to fill the room. Thanks Zeos for doing this review would not have been interested at all if it wasn't for this
Another fun and informative video from Zeos. Got my MB42x years ago watching your older vids... then the Fluance SX6 after that, also with your help. Now I have the Q150 yet find myself not wanting, but needing a pair of these. Thanks a lot! Also I'm digging the CCTV cam you have hanging around.
First post...love the channel! Just picked up the RB42's for a budget home theater setup. Already have a Denon receiver and sub collecting dust. While sharing my plan with the CFO, she asked why not just get a sound bar. I smiled and said no way! I was never a fan of them and of course Zeos doesn't approve. Looking forward to hearing the setup come to life. Been lazy and anything is an improvement at this point. Next up is my desk setup. Again major space constraint so taking my time researching.
Thank you z!!! Got my RB42's yesterday. Still working out my TV optical nightmare. Running through a Old Denon receiver 75w per channel with a 8" sub. WOW!! These speakers are absolutely amazing for their size. They are shockingly good. Whats even better is the CFO has been streaming and jamming these speakers all day so far. She loves music even more than me. She has the hugest smile and is dancing around. Huge win!!! I see more audio gear coming soon.
So we keep saying "power them right"... I don't want to execute this setup wrong, thus ruining the "budget" appeal! So what DO we need to power these? Which amps are good for these cute 'lil guys?
If you're using them on a desk you'd get away with a medium sized desk amp. Had them hooked up to a Loxjie a10 and they did fine. But then I hooked them up to my old Onkyo 809 and then a pair of Marantz ma 500 mono blocks (so that's 140/125 watts stereo respectively).They are so inefficient they want power, power and more power. That's the thing about Z's set up. He's got so much power that it shows a speakers true potential which is the perfect position he has to be in to do a review. In real world set ups that's not always the case. If you use a desk top amp they'll satisfy but the more power you feed them the better they respond. It's kind of a conundrum for this little speaker, but it's been fun to play with though. Feed them with a 100 watts like he says in the video and you'll be rewarded. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you pick up a pair 🙂
At a minimum, the smsl ad18, but other reviewers have said even that doesn't bring out the rb42's full potential. I'd look for something around 80-100wpc if you want them to sound their best.
I have the micca mb42x because of your sound demo. And now I will be getting these to upgrade. It is amazing what that company has done with there speakers.
Thanks for all your reviews Zeos, been a fan for a couple years now and appreciate what you're doing. Im from Denver and will definitely be checking out your booth at RMAF this year! Can't wait...
@@untitleditem2334 Sa speram că cineva, o sa documenteze si înregistreze profesional evenimentul pentru istorie când va merge la RMAF 2019, acolo va fi o poveste buna pentru un jurnalist, deoarece va arata lumii ca nu tot ce este scump este si bun mai ales calitate/preț si ca pot să cumpere ceva similar cu cele de top la un preț foarte ieftin comparativ.
I'm gonna order now too! (in Canada) Thanks Zeos. honestly was considering the Vanatoo T1E's but these are way less money and I already have the receiver & sub setup at my desk. :)
I have the Miccas in my office, I just upgraded the amp from a SMSL AD18 to a Peachtree iNova and Peachtree 220 amp, the iNova has pre outs so the 220wpc into 8ohms really makes the RB42s shine.
I wish I could get these in the EU... Theoretically I can, but the shipping is more than the price of the speakers, which defeats the purpose... FML...
Micca RB42 vs Elac Uni-fi vs Sony SS-CS5 I was searching all over the internet to see if someone posted a comparison of any sort but couldn't find a solid one so I went ahead and got the Micca RB42 since I already owned the Elac Uni-fi and the Sony SS-CS5 I could just compare it myself. I was surprised, honestly. The Elac uni-fi are the better speakers but by a very small margin. The Micca RB42 sound better than the Sony and are 95% of the quality of the Elacs at an almost 1/4 of the price and 1/4 the size which is freaking amazing. Major note is that the Sony ss-cs5 are easy to drive and my 2x50watt D class amp was super happy to drive them. The Elac were significantly harder to drive and started to lose its magic and the Micca is even HARDER to drive than the Elacs. If you don't have a good amp, do not get the Miccas or Elacs, they sound worse than the Sony. I had to play them in my Marantz amp for the Elacs and Miccas to stretch their legs. Short version Good Amp: Elac >= Micca > Sony Bad Amp: Sony > Elac > Micca
Yes, I concur with that analysis. However, it's that small difference is why I can't keep them over the UniFi's currently occupying my desk. But, I can certainly say that I would keep these over the Debuts. The UniFi is another cost to performance speaker that continues to impress me.
@@Z3NSEI True haha. I wanted the Elacs on my desk but they are so massive. Elacs Uni-fi are king of the sub $500 speaker section and punch way above their weight. I'm really happy with the Micca and plan on putting it on my desktop build and keep the Elacs in the main system.
Agree with you Jorge somewhat. I tested them where I have my UB5's in my man cave and they cannot compete. They are hard to drive and cant produce the low end like the UB5's. They're sitting on my desk now and they are an improvement over a pair of old Polk Monitor 40's. The RB42's are impressive for their size i have to say. I'm seriously considering a Crown XLS 1002. It seems these are power hungry speakers that need more power to come alive. I have Onkyo TX-NR818 in the man cave and a Yamaha R-N301 on my desk. Both are nice receivers but i havent heard the "eargasm" the reviewers rave about with these speakers. It's a never ending hunt for awesome sound on a budget. :D
I love these little speakers...not big enough for main system, but they work great in one of the spare bedrooms I use for project work....I'll probably never push them to their limits, which for a speaker that size, it is extremely rare to get satisfying sound without making them burst into flames...lol
Got my pair in on Friday and have been testing them since. They are a nice sounding pair of speakers but not getting the excitement like Zeos got. Considering their size, they sound pretty good. I have a pair of Elac Unifi UB5's and they are way better than these (which is expected based on size and price). The RB42's are replacing an old set of Polk Monitor 40's on my desktop. They sound better for sure for a desktop application. The RB42's are noticeable more power hungry. I have to give them 10% more volume on the dial for the same loudness. Being powered using a Yamaha R-N301. I'm planning on keeping them since they only cost me 130. Good value all things considering. I tested them in the man cave using my Onkyo TX-NR818. They were not able to keep up with the UB5's at all. The entire range of sound was lacking comparatively speaking. I see Zeos is using the Crown XLS amps in bridge mode to power his. That's another level of power and may explain why they sound so good to him. I'm considering getting a Crown XLS 1002 to play with an external class D amp. Anyone have an opinion on this? Guessing it would improve my Elacs and Miccas.
They are low sensitivity so I'm not surprised you had to inch the volume knob up higher, but they only have 100watts power handling so I'd be surprised if a bigger amp made that much of a difference. Maybe if the power supplies weren't good in your receivers, but, usually receivers do fine with small speakers. The specs on the website are a little hazy, but it seems to imply the impedance ranges between 4 and 8 ohms which is easy enough, I guess that'd be a nominal of somewhere around 6. They don't publish any graph though so who knows. I wish Zeos took some basic measurements of speakers but I know that's a pain and maybe not as entertaining. I have some Crown Class D amps that I use for my home theater, and they do the job well for the mains (don't use them for passive subs, they have a subsonic filter at 20Hz - all of them). People tend to always say that their systems improve after getting some big amps, but they usually aren't loudness matching before making that statement, I think a lot of the difference is placebo unless the speakers have a high power handling and/or really low impedance/difficult to drive. I think the biggest benefit of having huge amps is that you never have the question of "was I underpowered" anymore. It just takes that whole question out of the equation. My guess though? You've just got a little speaker, that was ported to give it low end, and there is only so much it can do before hitting some very practical limitations. Your UB5s might get some benefit from a better amp though, they have a dip down to 3.4ohm and 140 watts power handling.
@@jerrycurls88 No problem. When you start to shop, make sure to read reviews on how loud fans are. Some models are great, some are loud. Fan mods are pretty easy if needed. Lots of forum info out there. AVSForum is good for searching for that type of info.
Just bought these speakers and received them,and my friend I'll tell u these little guys really kick some ass,hook them up with my klipsch speakers and that's all I needed.they sound Incredible.i live in an apartment building on the 6th floor and people on the first floor asking me what the hell u have up there cause they could hear the sound and power.hook up to my pioneer 440 watts receiver and the building is rumbling.
, this is called, good engineering & testing by Micca. they got it right with the crossover, speaker box, and driver selection to say the least. my problem is not the cost of these new Micca speakers. it's the cost of a new AMPLIFIER TO DRIVE THEM, DAMN IT ZEOS !!!!!! I'm going broke watching your channel cause I love love my little mb42Xs and Dayton mk speakers. but 50 wpc/rms won't be enough. so I'm buying the Yamaha stereo receiver rated @100 wpc/rms and it's only $149 on Amazon!!! very good quality, high current AB amp. good clairity too and built in Bluetooth. caint beat it. I'm gonna get a pair of these new Micca RB42 and beat the hell out of them within their limits as NOT to BLOW them. right at the edge of my ears to start to fucking BLEED!!!!!!!
Just wanted to stop by and tell my RB42 story: I was planning on swapping out a dying Logitech 5.1 system being used with my computer with "real" speakers and amps, so I bought a pair of these to test them out before I took the plunge. I was blown away. No. I was in shock. They changed how I look at the world. I felt I had reached the top of the (very tiny) mountain and seen the promised land. Seriously though, they are now going to take the place of the surround speakers in my 7.1 home theater system. (My main speakers are a pair of old Polk Monitor Series II M70s that are now run by a MiniDSP active crossover that feeds into 2 Carver TFM-15bc amps for the big drivers and S5 Electronics kit tube amps that run the tweeters and look sweet sitting atop the speakers themselves. They sound nice. I might build a pair of LXmini+2 speakers. Look 'em up. They are supposed to be pretty nice.) I also nabbed an RB42-C, too, before they vanish from Amazon. (Btw, saw your review of the C.) Yep, they definitely like to have more juice. So they'll eventually be running on 100w vintage Carver TFM-15/15cb amps (I've got a bunch of TFMs of various flavors. I know there are those that don't like Carver amps, but I fell in love with them back when they first came out and ever since it's a "thing" I have. I know you'll understand. ;) ) once I finish the long process of upgrading my home theater. (I'm going to be moving into a new house in the next year, so I'm taking my time.) Anyway, yep, these things are freaking AWESOME for the price. I can't wait to show them to some people I used to work with at a hifi store back in the day. Again, to those thinking of getting these speakers: give 'em some juice! You will be greatly rewarded. :) PS: I wanted to get an OoO for my computer system, but... All gone! At least for now. :/ I wonder if their tiny concentric speakers sound any good. Was thinking of using them for the center channel on my computer system until more OoOs come back to Amazon...
When you knock on the speakers and say "This is the sound of expensive speakers", some might argue that point. There are two schools of thought when it comes to speaker design. The majority of speaker designers use very rigid cabinet designs where the aim is to make the cabinet as inert as possible. Others use thinner walled, less rigid designs that moves resonant frequencies to part of the audio spectrum we are less sensitive to and use damping to disperse the energy.
Can the Micca Origain amp power these for a small living room? Or are there any other amps around or below the same price that will work better? Kind of on a tight budget...
So since these plus something like the SMSL AD-18 are going to cost you roughly $300 plus cables and everything would it just make more sense to pay the extra couple bucks and pick up something like the Edifier S2000pro?
Ahh Zeos, I own the KEF LS50Ws and was waiting for my new Buchardt S400s to arrive, but you still made me buy these RB42s! Now I'll have to pay shipping to Armenia that costs about half as much as the speaker itself. What is wrong with you, hahah?! 😅
@@Dunkelstrasse I bought them right from Amazon, it's just that here in Armenia we have a couple of services that give you a virtual US address that you can use to buy products from Amazon and other places that ship only inside US and than those companies ship it here. You may want to look for similar services in your country. If you don't find any, there are some similar services that ship from US to almost any country (I've been using MyUS before - www.myus.com/), but it will probably not be very cheap.
@@Dunkelstrasse Parcel forwarding (From USA can recommend Shipito). Thinking about doing it too, even if I am getting close to the 250 USD mark with everything.
I followed your suggestion. Bought RB42. The best you have ever heard. Threw the box away. I have Emotiva XPA-200 and Marantz 2230. What cables you have?
Thanks, Zeos. Any opinion on SMSL AD18 vs. Topping MX3 to go with these for a sound bar replacement? Wasn't sure the MX3 could drive them enough given your comments on power.
the SMSL AD18 is a beast in output power for under 200$ it's a no brainer paired with the RB42. for headphones the MX3 is a tad better. but 80W vs 40W the 18 is what you want for speakers and it looks better not that it's important.
All these speakers are great, he brings hype to it. But the bigger the woofer the more bass there will be and it will be lower. He's gonna be hyper at whatever is good and new but the old stuff is as great, just different. I have the S803 and did also a test with Elac B5 in the same room on the same receiver. There is more to speakers than a reviewer can show. The S803 are not better over B5 and B5 is not better over S803, just different sound signature and size, one has a 4.5" woofer (S803) and one has 5" (B5 or 5.25", didn't measure these). The first has actual detail and the latter has quite a bit more bass because of the bigger woofer. If you want bass, forget the reviewers talk about how much bass a 4" can do, it will simply not beat a bigger sized woofer because of physics. In fact, if you bring in a subwoofer then you can forget any mention of low bass at all in these videos. What I recommend if you are going for a budget option, get nice passive speakers from the like of Jamo or Elac or others like them and a nice quality receiver (like the newer Denon line, X250BT is great) and if bass isn't enough, which it won't be most likely, depends what you listen to, but either way a subwoofer will always make the sound better, because speakers no matter the cost just can't do what subs can because of the size difference of the drivers. Whatever anyone tells you, a 5" can't do what an 8" can or anything below 8" same goes for even bigger drivers. I do not recommend you however to go anywhere near active speakers unless you want to throw over 500 bucks because the electronics inside active speakers are cheap and often people get pairs of active speakers from JBL or Swan or any other manufacturer that get hissing or white noise in the background at all times the speakers are on. Good luck in getting a nice pair of speakers for yourself though.
Thanks Z, $130 speakers but $1000 amps to make them sound "this" good. What options do we have for low cost, high value amps (thinking the closest amp is the topping m3x with a sub out)?
I have between these and a pair of fluance ai60s for my Tv setup but adding and amp to the equation is kinda annoying and every single recommendation is very expensive...
Purchased the 4th to last pair on Amazon. Delivery tomorrow! I can’t believe how fast these sold out. Thanks for another review that triggered a cheap investment I couldn’t pass up!
I am unfortunately returning them. They are a really great set of speakers. Phenomenal for their size. But on my desk (72' wide x 30" deep), the Elac UniFi B5's are king.
In all things hifi we have better stuff than America. The UK alone can blow everything else out of the water. And then there are Danish, German and British speakers. Rogers, Harbeth, Wharfedale, Heybrook, AE, Epos, Monitor Audio, Tannoy, Quad, B&W, KEF, Spendor. And all the great traditional manufacturers, Braun, NAD, Burmeister, Burchardt, DUAL, and the Brits A&R, Naim, Arcam, Audiolab, Mission Cyrus, Roksan, Leema, PMC. A lot of very yummy shit from the island alone.
@@orcaflotta7867 That is true but the cheaper good stuff is alway in good ol' America. Europe has good stuff, sometimes imported, sometimes not. But it's always really expensive.
Zeos, love the content! One of my favorite channels! I caught the Micca bug! I'm running the RB 42, RB42C, OoO (sides), M6 (in wall rears), COVO 5 (height on Yamaha non atmos RVX867. My subs (2) R10SWs. The Yamaha has preamp outs. What kind of power/amp do you recommend? Thanks!!
5 лет назад+6
Any resemblance with Q Acoustics is pure coincidence... but they sound amazing
Thanks a ton for this review... need something that will impress me for my desk speakers, I'll use a solid 100w but not push em'..and have headroom to spare. On a very short solid stand and isolated i'm hoping this will do it. I used the link.. done! They will replace Klipsch RP-500m 's that are little too fatiguing at such a near-field duty. Felt a little de-ja-vu because when i listened to your Grado SR80 X review I grabbed a set and I'm still loving them but with vevor pads. Keep up the good finds brotha' !!
Per Micca website “Due to popular demand, the RB42 is out of stock. Our next shipment is due in mid to late June. We apologize for the inconvenience! The introductory special price of $129.99 will be extended for the second shipment as a “Thank You!” to the patience of our customers.”
Just got my pair,, For such a small speaker it's amazing but they have their limitations. for the price, can't beat it. Love that this came triple boxed and they were surrounded un foam... These should never arrive damaged if they do then your UPS guy was playing soccer with them.
OK so I just bought these and wired them to a fosi bl20c. Dude what the heck is this sorcery? My records sound fantastic. Even RUclips music over Bluetooth sounds great. These blow the LG SL7Y away, especially for the difference in what they cost me. Now I just need a DAC with ARC and I'm golden. First thing I did was play my Metallica vinyl and the instant enter sandman came on I was instantly immersed.
Great review. Z iz d'man for waking me up to cheap but great speakers! Btw, also because of Z, last year on a trip to the US, I bought a pair of SP-BS22's and stuffed them into my friggin suitcase between all my dirty laundry. Now, because these are so much smaller, maybe my next trip means I can bring four of these with me.
I love you channel Zeos. I don't have a trained ear, but to me the Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Are better than the RB42. Ignoring the fact that I got them half off, to me the sound is just better on the Sony. I'll be returning the RB42s
Are these good for a medium sized living room home theater as my only speakers? Is dialogue clear, it will be mostly for movies. No micca Center’s available in Canada unfortunately. Thanks
Okay so first off: I love you. Second: I made the mistake of buying those Sony SSCS5s and now I'm here so I'm buying these because you mentioned the rb42s in the Sony review! Thank you!
Off chance you read this. I'm going to be that guy... RB42 or OoO(not c) for Front desktop speakers. I have a 6.0 setup going on rears, sides and fronts. Would you feel the OoO would need a baby subwoofer? Seems like the RB42s can hang on there own.... Thoughts?.....I'm thinking about just getting a pair of either and if i don't like them as front throwing them at the sides haha.
Really?! Oh come on! I live in the UK, screw it, going to order from US Amazon, I don't care if I have to wait a year for them to arrive. One of my Mackies MR624 just started clipping, only had it a couple of months, so that's going back.
Thank you, .. I love your format and honesty =) .. That Amazon review is great too.. =) Wish I could come listen at RMAF .. Hoping the rooms let you set them up properly / position.
So far you got me to buy the shp9500's, vmoda boompro, smsl ad18, and some micca cables. All have done me well. Just ordered these. We will see Zeos, we will see.
The "computer law " you are referencing is Moore's law Zeos . Moore's law is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.
Zeos, you recommended the SHP9500's a while ago and helped a Poor Young Man like me get a taste of HiFi for cheap. I feel like these will be the next step for me, because now I'm an ever-so-slightly less Poor Young Man. I'm forever grateful, dad
Probably Slept The PS Audio Sprout 100 is a great little amp and would really do these justice. You can't do much better than the Sprout for sound/price, IMO
@@bernsie6323 Oof, that seems like a great piece of equipment, but it's a little out of budget right now. But it was very kind of you to give a recommendation and I'll definitely keep it in mind for upgrading in the future. Thank You!
thanks for your funny videos....but at the end what whould you choose between Micca RB42 and Sony SS-CS5,,,i need to get speakers for my living room...just for music, not home theater. thanks
Hey Zeos!! Love your channel! I’m looking for a small/ wife approved set of speakers. I’m familiar with all the micca speakers and am a current owner of a set of Dayton B652s as rear speakers. I’ve noticed that Dayton has come out with some new speaker models.The MK402s specifically caught my eye. Would love for your to review them.
I like the rounded look of Polks and it's great to see affordable speakers that ALOS look GUD! I hate speakers with sharp corners! More important...where is the cat???
Hey how are you liking your 64 audio U12t's? And have you ever used them for gaming? And after having them for a few months longer since your review. Are they still worth the $2,000 asking price?
"Gather your friends together"
My what?
I think what you call your amp/dac after you bluetac'd them together or it's those people that called the cops on you for walking into their house to tell them that their headphones were bad and tried to get them to listen to your IEMs that cost less then their beats.
@@MortisObscura I've listened to old beats headphones and the new ones and unless you like bass cannons I wouldn't pay more than $5 for any of them. Just my opinion.
Jeffrey Episcopo
Im your 100th like.
Whats that
Note to Micca: Ship to Europe or let Amazon put a frigging container there with some Micca stuff.
Yeah.
For some of the best "made in china" stuff, why not ship to the rest of the world, they already ship halfway around the globe.
South america needs some more competition, Edifier just destroys everything else price-wise here, because everything else is so ridiculously expensive.
@@PeterowskySame with most of Europe. You want some Klipsch? Better book a hifi store listening session, oh wait they don't have them, order online and pay double the US price, wait for stock, and hope you like the sound. Meanwhile, you can buy Edifier from a hyper market.
On the other hand I can't complain, UK companies are on top of their game and have plenty of stock at good prices.
Whats the price to get them to EU?
@@daanw6270 Just add 100-150$ for shipping and taxes over their price.
Era super daca se livrau si in Europa, de ce americanii au cele mai misto jucarii la preturi ok ? Uffff
Damn. Years later, I finally purchased these after you mentioned the new ones, and damn, these are fun! Can't explain the sound size from such a small box. Enjoying.
I just got a pair for my computer, Topping dac and Fosi ZA3 amp, it sounds like listening through headphones but without having something on your head, unfortunately I can't crank them up where I live without upsetting all my neighbors, but up close at low volume they sound fantastic
"It was a guy, I blew his mind"
-Zeos 2019
plot twist: zeos thought he had the RB42's plugged in but Ohm Walsh's were playing all along
😂
@@c6sm9sgg69 😂😭
Damnit 😂
Should def make some Amp recommendations to go with these to create a 'from scratch' setup for a living room.
Like I said below: I would go with the Dayton Audio APA 150, It's a good entry stereo amp (Class AB) to my opinion, if you can find one.
Some Schiit or even that KInter Tripath K2020A+
@@BenoitMarcBernardin This. Whatever has enough power, doesn't hiss, and is inexpensive. Speakers made much more of a difference.
yes please! I need amp recommendations.
@@stevenswall I agree speakers will have a greater impact. I was just trying to answer the question. I did however noticed a difference between a small nobsound amp and the Dayton 150 (i bought both) on the same speaker set.
These will take three times the power while greatly increasing dynamics if crossed over at 100 hz with a steep slope of 18 or 24 db/octave. They will sound much better too because the little 4" midbass driver won't have to concurrently reproduce 40 hz and the critical midrange, which will vastly reduce intermodulation distortion (IMD), especially at higher volumes.
In other words, get a sub!
Just like Zeos explained to you in previous reviews of the MB42 vs. MB42X, the addition of a well engineered crossover made a huge difference in the sound reproduction, especially in the critical midrage. Why? This improvement was largely due to a reduction of IMD caused by asking the tweeter and midrange driver to reproduce frequencies outside their intended capabilities. This same principle applies when asking a 4 or 5 inch speaker to reproduce the lowest octaves while simultaneously asking it to reproduce the critical midrage (500-4000 hz). It might reproduce 40 or 50 hz, but not without distorting or causing artifacts in other areas of the audio spectrum that become more noticeable as the volume increases.
Everything is a tradeoff or compromise in audio and asking a little 4 or 5 inch driver to do bass duty while reproducing the midrange is far from ideal and not without fidelity issues. There is much fidelity to gain byond reduced distortion alone by utilizing a good subwoofer and crossover network that allows the midrange/midbass drivers to focus on that region exclusively, even at lower listening levels, such as: wider/deeper soundstage, better imaging, more natural tones and timber, less ear fatigue, revelation of subtleties otherwise not rendered, increased dynamics, and much greater power handling capability. All of these positive attributes are due in part to higher damping factor (faster rise time and fall time of the speaker motor) and greatly reduced IMD of the cone and voice coil. You just have to experience it to believe it.
What's the easiest way to cross these over? Say you have just a turntable, a vintage receiver and a powered floor sub. You buy the RB42S, what's the next step?
@@theax40 @Chris Axelson if your receiver can't do crossover itself then it seems to me the easiest solution is to upgrade your receiver to a modern avr that can handle the crossover.
If that's not an option you might have to push the signal through the subwoofer so that it can do the crossover (if your sub can do that).
The last option is to buy a miniDSP and an amplifier. The miniDSP could handle the crossover but this option is potentially the most expensive depending on pricing in your area.
Thank you for the great review- you sold me on a pair of them and they are amazing! How the heck does a set of 4”drivers make that much clean low end?!?!!! Awesome stuff. Thank ya
worth the gamble... just ordered a pair. Zeos, your rep is on the line :D
let me know how it goes m8
I was skeptical... he wasn't BSing.. I was a bit dissapointed with the MB42x and had to EQ them to get them close to what I wanted.
These though... man... I'm very very happy with them. Out of the box they sound so good. Extremely satisfied.
See comment under Jerry T
Taught a class of 15 yesterday about the fundamentals of audio reproduction and critical listening. The RB42's were on display and wowing folks.
"Wait, that's from the little guys?"
"Is there a subwoofer on?"
"How much are they again?"
"When you say inefficient, what does that mean?"
I was also powering them with a 150w Vintage receiver, and they were *eating* up the power. Heed Zeos's words on giving them enough *clean* power.
As an aside, they were next to the KEF LS50 Wireless -- and the differences were not as stark and obvious as the price disparity would lead you to believe. Take that for what you will ;)
How much power do you think you'd need for a desk setup? Not trying to fill a living room, my desk amp is only 40wpc
@@ryanrowlandson9914 I'd recommend at the very least giving them 60W. My buddy got them and his 130W per channel receiver needed to crank out some serious power to bring these to life (hard to say but I'd assume around 90W). Mind you that was a living room
@@ryanrowlandson9914 I would guess between 40-60 W, the topping mx3 seems like a minimum requirement, if I were you I would be looking for something a little bit more powerful. (but hey the topping is at least cheap). Quick look gained the lepai lp1601s 200w class d (It's probably 100 W), but there aren't that many respected reviews so you would really have too look if someone did a good testing/review if it's clean amp. Or something else from Lepai they seem to be getting respectable. If this video says something, then the Lepai LP1601S should power them at desk fine ruclips.net/video/iO-MVAnA9f4/видео.html
@@MisterKardos Well the smaller the speaker the more power you will need to play loudly... Like exponentially more and the obvious issue is the more power you use the less it'll be clean. With today's advancements we can easily achieve great sound with a 4in driver but most people could use a class or two about speakers. The kef are soemthing else entirely still on a whole other level.
Kudos to Zeos for the Micca RB42 review. I ordered a pair and got them last week and they are certainly the real deal. Unbelievably great performance for a shoestring budget price. Have a sub connected and it is audiophile quality. They are on back order now on Amazon so I was lucky to order and receive them within 2 days. Thanks Zeos.
how do i hook up a sub to them?
@@tcolemanii1971
It depends on the sub you have and the amplifier or receiver you are using to drive the speakers. On a vintage system without a dedicated sub out port, the easiest way to set up a subwoofer in that situation is if there are line in and line out connectors on the sub. There speaker wires go into the line connectors and a separate set of speakers connect to the sub via the line out connectors.
@@tcolemanii1971 you can’t there not powered
Damn it. I was holding off for a long time even after Joe N Tell's review to buy these. Your review tipped me over the top to try them out. I don't need them. Damn it 😅
Update : OK. These are just stupid.! Obviously it's only capable of what a 4" can do but I'm dumbfounded. Definitely best purchase this year. So nice to listen to and the bass sheesh. They're sitting on top of my subs and the vibration is going right through them hahaha. I have them in a rather large living room and they're doing fine. Not going to get to concert levels here but for a medium to small sized room, these are all you need for a two channel set up. Good call Z. I didn't agree so much with the Jamo 803's but these, YES. They are special right out of the box. Little copper leaf pennies for sure. Happy listening 😁😁😁
Which amp are you using?
@@NVSTRZ34 I had them hooked up on a Loxjie A10. I've since moved them into a second bedroom and they're powered by a Yamaha RX-A660 which is rated 80 watts two channels at 8ohms I believe. The Loxjie was just fine though
How large is your living room. I'm thinking about some RB42's or MB42x's but my current living room is fairly long and skinny so I sit almost 20 ft away from my speakers.
Just received my set and these are extremely impressive. For only $130 and how small these are? That low end and balance holy crap. I've got these paired to SMSL AD18 as do all TV sound bar for a relatively small room and I get enough oomph to fill the room. Thanks Zeos for doing this review would not have been interested at all if it wasn't for this
Another fun and informative video from Zeos. Got my MB42x years ago watching your older vids... then the Fluance SX6 after that, also with your help. Now I have the Q150 yet find myself not wanting, but needing a pair of these. Thanks a lot! Also I'm digging the CCTV cam you have hanging around.
Everyone in the EU could order these from Amazon US and have it shipped to Zeos. He could then pack a container for us all.
And then what? Who distributes them once they arrived in Europe in a giant fucking container
@@vs1776ny I laughed too hard at your response XD
Now apparently sold out at Amazon. The price increase is next.. along with the mediocrity.
Just got mine 2 days ago paired with the topping pa3 and after a day of break in, muddy waters is bringing a tear to my eye.
Thanks z
sounds good
Thanks for giving a shout out to us "young kids" Z with the Phil Collins. Hahaha!
First post...love the channel! Just picked up the RB42's for a budget home theater setup. Already have a Denon receiver and sub collecting dust. While sharing my plan with the CFO, she asked why not just get a sound bar. I smiled and said no way! I was never a fan of them and of course Zeos doesn't approve. Looking forward to hearing the setup come to life. Been lazy and anything is an improvement at this point. Next up is my desk setup. Again major space constraint so taking my time researching.
thanks for finally telling us what the thing on the ceiling is!! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you z!!! Got my RB42's yesterday. Still working out my TV optical nightmare. Running through a Old Denon receiver 75w per channel with a 8" sub. WOW!! These speakers are absolutely amazing for their size. They are shockingly good. Whats even better is the CFO has been streaming and jamming these speakers all day so far. She loves music even more than me. She has the hugest smile and is dancing around. Huge win!!! I see more audio gear coming soon.
"World-endingly good speakers." Love it.
So we keep saying "power them right"... I don't want to execute this setup wrong, thus ruining the "budget" appeal!
So what DO we need to power these? Which amps are good for these cute 'lil guys?
The Emotiva BasX A-100 works really well. It brought out the sound quality without worrying about blowing them. 80 watts @ 4 Ohms.
If you're using them on a desk you'd get away with a medium sized desk amp. Had them hooked up to a Loxjie a10 and they did fine. But then I hooked them up to my old Onkyo 809 and then a pair of Marantz ma 500 mono blocks (so that's 140/125 watts stereo respectively).They are so inefficient they want power, power and more power. That's the thing about Z's set up. He's got so much power that it shows a speakers true potential which is the perfect position he has to be in to do a review. In real world set ups that's not always the case. If you use a desk top amp they'll satisfy but the more power you feed them the better they respond. It's kind of a conundrum for this little speaker, but it's been fun to play with though. Feed them with a 100 watts like he says in the video and you'll be rewarded. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you pick up a pair 🙂
At a minimum, the smsl ad18, but other reviewers have said even that doesn't bring out the rb42's full potential. I'd look for something around 80-100wpc if you want them to sound their best.
Iota VX with the additional power amp for more juice... Check out zero fidelity channel for a review of the Iota system! 👍
I have the micca mb42x because of your sound demo. And now I will be getting these to upgrade. It is amazing what that company has done with there speakers.
Thanks for all your reviews Zeos, been a fan for a couple years now and appreciate what you're doing. Im from Denver and will definitely be checking out your booth at RMAF this year! Can't wait...
Wish I could get it in Europe :/
Please someone make an 4.0 and/or 4.1 Micca RB42 with MiniDSP + AMP combo and bring and sell it in Romania .
@@Narinjas De acord. Misto sa gaseti pe cineva care se mai uita le Zeos. Ce sa zic, te salut :)))
You can get Jamos.
@@untitleditem2334 Hristos a Inviat
@@untitleditem2334 Sa speram că cineva, o sa documenteze si înregistreze profesional evenimentul pentru istorie când va merge la RMAF 2019, acolo va fi o poveste buna pentru un jurnalist, deoarece va arata lumii ca nu tot ce este scump este si bun mai ales calitate/preț si ca pot să cumpere ceva similar cu cele de top la un preț foarte ieftin comparativ.
I'm gonna order now too! (in Canada) Thanks Zeos. honestly was considering the Vanatoo T1E's but these are way less money and I already have the receiver & sub setup at my desk. :)
I have the Miccas in my office, I just upgraded the amp from a SMSL AD18 to a Peachtree iNova and Peachtree 220 amp, the iNova has pre outs so the 220wpc into 8ohms really makes the RB42s shine.
I wish I could get these in the EU... Theoretically I can, but the shipping is more than the price of the speakers, which defeats the purpose...
FML...
yup
Are these better than speakers you can buy for $250 in Europe? If so, then buy them.
@@ghiagoo Dont think so, you can get a Wharfedale 11.1 for less than 300 euro. I think thats a good deal
You can get Jamo S803s.
@@dnd6379 only z gave good reviews for jamo. So a bit skeptical.
Sometimes I hate living in Australia. $130 USD. These are $515 here!
Sold Out on Amazon??! They’re currently not available. :/
Joe and Tell was showing and selling a boat load at T. H. E. Show a week or so ago, as Micca gave him the load and so... A shortage 🧐
Micca RB42 vs Elac Uni-fi vs Sony SS-CS5
I was searching all over the internet to see if someone posted a comparison of any sort but couldn't find a solid one so I went ahead and got the Micca RB42 since I already owned the Elac Uni-fi and the Sony SS-CS5 I could just compare it myself. I was surprised, honestly. The Elac uni-fi are the better speakers but by a very small margin. The Micca RB42 sound better than the Sony and are 95% of the quality of the Elacs at an almost 1/4 of the price and 1/4 the size which is freaking amazing. Major note is that the Sony ss-cs5 are easy to drive and my 2x50watt D class amp was super happy to drive them. The Elac were significantly harder to drive and started to lose its magic and the Micca is even HARDER to drive than the Elacs. If you don't have a good amp, do not get the Miccas or Elacs, they sound worse than the Sony. I had to play them in my Marantz amp for the Elacs and Miccas to stretch their legs.
Short version
Good Amp: Elac >= Micca > Sony
Bad Amp: Sony > Elac > Micca
Yes, I concur with that analysis. However, it's that small difference is why I can't keep them over the UniFi's currently occupying my desk. But, I can certainly say that I would keep these over the Debuts. The UniFi is another cost to performance speaker that continues to impress me.
@@Z3NSEI True haha. I wanted the Elacs on my desk but they are so massive. Elacs Uni-fi are king of the sub $500 speaker section and punch way above their weight. I'm really happy with the Micca and plan on putting it on my desktop build and keep the Elacs in the main system.
Agree with you Jorge somewhat. I tested them where I have my UB5's in my man cave and they cannot compete. They are hard to drive and cant produce the low end like the UB5's. They're sitting on my desk now and they are an improvement over a pair of old Polk Monitor 40's. The RB42's are impressive for their size i have to say.
I'm seriously considering a Crown XLS 1002. It seems these are power hungry speakers that need more power to come alive. I have Onkyo TX-NR818 in the man cave and a Yamaha R-N301 on my desk. Both are nice receivers but i havent heard the "eargasm" the reviewers rave about with these speakers. It's a never ending hunt for awesome sound on a budget. :D
@@jerrycurls88 True true. The Elacs Uni-Fi are definitely a cut above the Micca RB42.
I love these little speakers...not big enough for main system, but they work great in one of the spare bedrooms I use for project work....I'll probably never push them to their limits, which for a speaker that size, it is extremely rare to get satisfying sound without making them burst into flames...lol
Got my pair in on Friday and have been testing them since. They are a nice sounding pair of speakers but not getting the excitement like Zeos got. Considering their size, they sound pretty good. I have a pair of Elac Unifi UB5's and they are way better than these (which is expected based on size and price). The RB42's are replacing an old set of Polk Monitor 40's on my desktop. They sound better for sure for a desktop application. The RB42's are noticeable more power hungry. I have to give them 10% more volume on the dial for the same loudness. Being powered using a Yamaha R-N301. I'm planning on keeping them since they only cost me 130. Good value all things considering.
I tested them in the man cave using my Onkyo TX-NR818. They were not able to keep up with the UB5's at all. The entire range of sound was lacking comparatively speaking.
I see Zeos is using the Crown XLS amps in bridge mode to power his. That's another level of power and may explain why they sound so good to him. I'm considering getting a Crown XLS 1002 to play with an external class D amp. Anyone have an opinion on this? Guessing it would improve my Elacs and Miccas.
They are low sensitivity so I'm not surprised you had to inch the volume knob up higher, but they only have 100watts power handling so I'd be surprised if a bigger amp made that much of a difference. Maybe if the power supplies weren't good in your receivers, but, usually receivers do fine with small speakers. The specs on the website are a little hazy, but it seems to imply the impedance ranges between 4 and 8 ohms which is easy enough, I guess that'd be a nominal of somewhere around 6. They don't publish any graph though so who knows. I wish Zeos took some basic measurements of speakers but I know that's a pain and maybe not as entertaining.
I have some Crown Class D amps that I use for my home theater, and they do the job well for the mains (don't use them for passive subs, they have a subsonic filter at 20Hz - all of them). People tend to always say that their systems improve after getting some big amps, but they usually aren't loudness matching before making that statement, I think a lot of the difference is placebo unless the speakers have a high power handling and/or really low impedance/difficult to drive.
I think the biggest benefit of having huge amps is that you never have the question of "was I underpowered" anymore. It just takes that whole question out of the equation. My guess though? You've just got a little speaker, that was ported to give it low end, and there is only so much it can do before hitting some very practical limitations. Your UB5s might get some benefit from a better amp though, they have a dip down to 3.4ohm and 140 watts power handling.
@@commanderrussels2612 good info, Thx.. Just waiting for a good deal before I take the plunge. I'm really more interested in the crown for my elacs.
@@jerrycurls88 No problem. When you start to shop, make sure to read reviews on how loud fans are. Some models are great, some are loud. Fan mods are pretty easy if needed. Lots of forum info out there. AVSForum is good for searching for that type of info.
Just bought these speakers and received them,and my friend I'll tell u these little guys really kick some ass,hook them up with my klipsch speakers and that's all I needed.they sound Incredible.i live in an apartment building on the 6th floor and people on the first floor asking me what the hell u have up there cause they could hear the sound and power.hook up to my pioneer 440 watts receiver and the building is rumbling.
, this is called, good engineering & testing by Micca. they got it right with the crossover, speaker box, and driver selection to say the least.
my problem is not the cost of these new Micca speakers. it's the cost of a new AMPLIFIER TO DRIVE THEM, DAMN IT ZEOS !!!!!!
I'm going broke watching your channel cause I love love my little mb42Xs and Dayton mk speakers.
but 50 wpc/rms won't be enough. so I'm buying the Yamaha stereo receiver rated @100 wpc/rms and it's only $149 on Amazon!!!
very good quality, high current AB amp. good clairity too and built in Bluetooth. caint beat it.
I'm gonna get a pair of these new Micca RB42
and beat the hell out of them within their limits as NOT to BLOW them. right at the edge of my ears to start to fucking BLEED!!!!!!!
Which Yamaha does 100 WPC and is $149? Thanks in advance.
Definitely needed about 24 hours break in...Love 'em!
Just got a set of these bad boys in today and am loving these! And guess what, Amazon is now out of stock...that didn't take long. Thanks Zeos.
Just wanted to stop by and tell my RB42 story: I was planning on swapping out a dying Logitech 5.1 system being used with my computer with "real" speakers and amps, so I bought a pair of these to test them out before I took the plunge. I was blown away. No. I was in shock. They changed how I look at the world. I felt I had reached the top of the (very tiny) mountain and seen the promised land. Seriously though, they are now going to take the place of the surround speakers in my 7.1 home theater system. (My main speakers are a pair of old Polk Monitor Series II M70s that are now run by a MiniDSP active crossover that feeds into 2 Carver TFM-15bc amps for the big drivers and S5 Electronics kit tube amps that run the tweeters and look sweet sitting atop the speakers themselves. They sound nice. I might build a pair of LXmini+2 speakers. Look 'em up. They are supposed to be pretty nice.) I also nabbed an RB42-C, too, before they vanish from Amazon. (Btw, saw your review of the C.) Yep, they definitely like to have more juice. So they'll eventually be running on 100w vintage Carver TFM-15/15cb amps (I've got a bunch of TFMs of various flavors. I know there are those that don't like Carver amps, but I fell in love with them back when they first came out and ever since it's a "thing" I have. I know you'll understand. ;) ) once I finish the long process of upgrading my home theater. (I'm going to be moving into a new house in the next year, so I'm taking my time.) Anyway, yep, these things are freaking AWESOME for the price. I can't wait to show them to some people I used to work with at a hifi store back in the day. Again, to those thinking of getting these speakers: give 'em some juice! You will be greatly rewarded. :)
PS: I wanted to get an OoO for my computer system, but... All gone! At least for now. :/ I wonder if their tiny concentric speakers sound any good. Was thinking of using them for the center channel on my computer system until more OoOs come back to Amazon...
When you knock on the speakers and say "This is the sound of expensive speakers", some might argue that point. There are two schools of thought when it comes to speaker design. The majority of speaker designers use very rigid cabinet designs where the aim is to make the cabinet as inert as possible. Others use thinner walled, less rigid designs that moves resonant frequencies to part of the audio spectrum we are less sensitive to and use damping to disperse the energy.
Do you mean coupling to disperse the energy? Damping is adding rigidity by definition. Your comment needs rethinking.
Can the Micca Origain amp power these for a small living room? Or are there any other amps around or below the same price that will work better? Kind of on a tight budget...
So since these plus something like the SMSL AD-18 are going to cost you roughly $300 plus cables and everything would it just make more sense to pay the extra couple bucks and pick up something like the Edifier S2000pro?
Ahh Zeos, I own the KEF LS50Ws and was waiting for my new Buchardt S400s to arrive, but you still made me buy these RB42s!
Now I'll have to pay shipping to Armenia that costs about half as much as the speaker itself. What is wrong with you, hahah?! 😅
Where did you buy them? I am trying to buy them myself and cant find a seller who ships outside of america.
@@Dunkelstrasse I bought them right from Amazon, it's just that here in Armenia we have a couple of services that give you a virtual US address that you can use to buy products from Amazon and other places that ship only inside US and than those companies ship it here. You may want to look for similar services in your country.
If you don't find any, there are some similar services that ship from US to almost any country (I've been using MyUS before - www.myus.com/), but it will probably not be very cheap.
@@Dunkelstrasse Parcel forwarding (From USA can recommend Shipito). Thinking about doing it too, even if I am getting close to the 250 USD mark with everything.
This is why I started watching Zeos, great performance for great price. 👍Only thing is these aren't available in Europe but we'll see...
For those who can and have not yet donated to the Go Fund Me, please get on that. The audio enthusiast community needs Zeos at RMAF.
O.o i've never lived in a city before. Feels like i'm watching a tv show with life going on out the windows.
Jamo Concert Series C601's you previously reviewed, YES! The Micca RB42's UGH!!! (in so many ways). I hope for your sake you kept the Jamo's.
I followed your suggestion. Bought RB42. The best you have ever heard. Threw the box away. I have Emotiva XPA-200 and Marantz 2230. What cables you have?
finally pulled the trigger on these. was liking them well enough until i put on julien bakers's "appointments". blew me away. thanks
Thanks, Zeos. Any opinion on SMSL AD18 vs. Topping MX3 to go with these for a sound bar replacement? Wasn't sure the MX3 could drive them enough given your comments on power.
the SMSL AD18 is a beast in output power for under 200$ it's a no brainer paired with the RB42. for headphones the MX3 is a tad better. but 80W vs 40W the 18 is what you want for speakers and it looks better not that it's important.
Do these do better than the Jamo S803 that you reviewed?
Wondering the same thing
He cusses more in this video, so probably.
@@jakemeyer6047 I guess you're right, the moans and ohs and ahs were ten times the amount of the Jamos videos.
All these speakers are great, he brings hype to it. But the bigger the woofer the more bass there will be and it will be lower. He's gonna be hyper at whatever is good and new but the old stuff is as great, just different. I have the S803 and did also a test with Elac B5 in the same room on the same receiver. There is more to speakers than a reviewer can show. The S803 are not better over B5 and B5 is not better over S803, just different sound signature and size, one has a 4.5" woofer (S803) and one has 5" (B5 or 5.25", didn't measure these). The first has actual detail and the latter has quite a bit more bass because of the bigger woofer. If you want bass, forget the reviewers talk about how much bass a 4" can do, it will simply not beat a bigger sized woofer because of physics. In fact, if you bring in a subwoofer then you can forget any mention of low bass at all in these videos. What I recommend if you are going for a budget option, get nice passive speakers from the like of Jamo or Elac or others like them and a nice quality receiver (like the newer Denon line, X250BT is great) and if bass isn't enough, which it won't be most likely, depends what you listen to, but either way a subwoofer will always make the sound better, because speakers no matter the cost just can't do what subs can because of the size difference of the drivers. Whatever anyone tells you, a 5" can't do what an 8" can or anything below 8" same goes for even bigger drivers. I do not recommend you however to go anywhere near active speakers unless you want to throw over 500 bucks because the electronics inside active speakers are cheap and often people get pairs of active speakers from JBL or Swan or any other manufacturer that get hissing or white noise in the background at all times the speakers are on. Good luck in getting a nice pair of speakers for yourself though.
So in the UK we have a choice of £225 Jamos or £130 Miccas that we can't buy.... awesome.
Thanks Z, $130 speakers but $1000 amps to make them sound "this" good. What options do we have for low cost, high value amps (thinking the closest amp is the topping m3x with a sub out)?
Very good question.
Would also like to know as I have the Topping MX3
I would go with the Dayton Audio APA 150, It's a good entry stereo amp (Class AB) to my opinion, if you can find one.
Zeos, please answer us!
I have between these and a pair of fluance ai60s for my Tv setup but adding and amp to the equation is kinda annoying and every single recommendation is very expensive...
They remind me of the Q Acoustics 3010s.
They need to make a 5-1/4 or 6-1/2 version. Use this technology and make a $200-300 pair that own everything.
Purchased the 4th to last pair on Amazon. Delivery tomorrow! I can’t believe how fast these sold out. Thanks for another review that triggered a cheap investment I couldn’t pass up!
I am unfortunately returning them. They are a really great set of speakers. Phenomenal for their size. But on my desk (72' wide x 30" deep), the Elac UniFi B5's are king.
Why can't Europe get nice things
_edit_
OK let me reiterate nice *cheap* things
because Angela Merkel...
In all things hifi we have better stuff than America. The UK alone can blow everything else out of the water. And then there are Danish, German and British speakers. Rogers, Harbeth, Wharfedale, Heybrook, AE, Epos, Monitor Audio, Tannoy, Quad, B&W, KEF, Spendor. And all the great traditional manufacturers, Braun, NAD, Burmeister, Burchardt, DUAL, and the Brits A&R, Naim, Arcam, Audiolab, Mission Cyrus, Roksan, Leema, PMC. A lot of very yummy shit from the island alone.
@@orcaflotta7867 That is true but the cheaper good stuff is alway in good ol' America. Europe has good stuff, sometimes imported, sometimes not. But it's always really expensive.
You guys have the Audi RS6 Avant, hush 🙄
I feel you
what else do i need to order with these to get them to work? Cable, amp, everything. Considering these over the Edifier S350DB for my desk
Zeos, love the content! One of my favorite channels! I caught the Micca bug! I'm running the RB 42, RB42C, OoO (sides), M6 (in wall rears), COVO 5 (height on Yamaha non atmos RVX867. My subs (2) R10SWs. The Yamaha has preamp outs. What kind of power/amp do you recommend? Thanks!!
Any resemblance with Q Acoustics is pure coincidence... but they sound amazing
I’m so looking forward to RMAF. Wish I could go. But I’m looking forward to watching your videos from RMAF. 🎧
Thanks a ton for this review... need something that will impress me for my desk speakers, I'll use a solid 100w but not push em'..and have headroom to spare. On a very short solid stand and isolated i'm hoping this will do it. I used the link.. done! They will replace Klipsch RP-500m 's that are little too fatiguing at such a near-field duty. Felt a little de-ja-vu because when i listened to your Grado SR80 X review I grabbed a set and I'm still loving them but with vevor pads. Keep up the good finds brotha' !!
Per Micca website
“Due to popular demand, the RB42 is out of stock. Our next shipment is due in mid to late June. We apologize for the inconvenience! The introductory special price of $129.99 will be extended for the second shipment as a “Thank You!” to the patience of our customers.”
Just got my pair,, For such a small speaker it's amazing but they have their limitations. for the price, can't beat it. Love that this came triple boxed and they were surrounded un foam... These should never arrive damaged if they do then your UPS guy was playing soccer with them.
same here, VERY surprised how many boxes there were.
so that was without a sub? they were making my dekoni blues rumble!
OK so I just bought these and wired them to a fosi bl20c.
Dude what the heck is this sorcery? My records sound fantastic. Even RUclips music over Bluetooth sounds great. These blow the LG SL7Y away, especially for the difference in what they cost me.
Now I just need a DAC with ARC and I'm golden.
First thing I did was play my Metallica vinyl and the instant enter sandman came on I was instantly immersed.
Great review. Z iz d'man for waking me up to cheap but great speakers! Btw, also because of Z, last year on a trip to the US, I bought a pair of SP-BS22's and stuffed them into my friggin suitcase between all my dirty laundry. Now, because these are so much smaller, maybe my next trip means I can bring four of these with me.
I love you channel Zeos. I don't have a trained ear, but to me the Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver
Are better than the RB42. Ignoring the fact that I got them half off, to me the sound is just better on the Sony. I'll be returning the RB42s
just got my pair yesterday. off my emotiva a2 amp these things are absolutely incredible. $150 bucks? worth double easily.
"Fuck you mica. And we're doneh here." So... SHPs of speakers.
Jamo s803 vs these. Wish you'd do vs vids
Are these good for a medium sized living room home theater as my only speakers? Is dialogue clear, it will be mostly for movies. No micca Center’s available in Canada unfortunately. Thanks
This video still cracks me up Z...lmao...still have mine and love them
Okay so first off: I love you. Second: I made the mistake of buying those Sony SSCS5s and now I'm here so I'm buying these because you mentioned the rb42s in the Sony review! Thank you!
Off chance you read this. I'm going to be that guy... RB42 or OoO(not c) for Front desktop speakers. I have a 6.0 setup going on rears, sides and fronts. Would you feel the OoO would need a baby subwoofer? Seems like the RB42s can hang on there own.... Thoughts?.....I'm thinking about just getting a pair of either and if i don't like them as front throwing them at the sides haha.
Just got these in today and they are what you say they are!! My only regret is I only bought one pair. Thanks!
Really?! Oh come on! I live in the UK, screw it, going to order from US Amazon, I don't care if I have to wait a year for them to arrive. One of my Mackies MR624 just started clipping, only had it a couple of months, so that's going back.
I'm not sure if I watch this channel for the excellent reviews or the comedy show!
Thanks for the video, definitely buying these for my pioneer receiver.
Guess what is finally back in stock on Amazon? Order now before they run out again.
should i get this for a 2.1 set up w/ a n amp instead of the powered kanto yumis for a sound bar solution? Great Vid thx!!!!!
How did you debadge the speakers grills? I think the badges look like a zit on a beauty queen.
They are back in stock and they are not shipping here once again
For L/R speakers are these better than JBL 130?
I wanna see Zeos reviewing iLoud MTM. I remember he liked the original one, but MTM calibrated? :thinking:
This couldn't come at a better time. I was looking for a pair for my tv and/or computer (same room). What would you suggest to power them?
Z great suggestion. I just put them up in my room and jesus!!!!
Amazing. I'm going to get the RB42-c to match
Thank you, .. I love your format and honesty =) .. That Amazon review is great too.. =) Wish I could come listen at RMAF .. Hoping the rooms let you set them up properly / position.
So far you got me to buy the shp9500's, vmoda boompro, smsl ad18, and some micca cables. All have done me well. Just ordered these. We will see Zeos, we will see.
Was the ad18 enough to drive these?
I had the same reaction to JBL Studio 220s. 3 1/2 woofer…and just fills the room with quality EVERYTHING!! 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
The "computer law " you are referencing is Moore's law Zeos . Moore's law is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.
diminishing returns
approximately as in 18 months, not really 24 months
That's not what he means. I think he's talking about the law of diminishing returns.
Zeos, you recommended the SHP9500's a while ago and helped a Poor Young Man like me get a taste of HiFi for cheap.
I feel like these will be the next step for me, because now I'm an ever-so-slightly less Poor Young Man. I'm forever grateful, dad
Probably Slept The PS Audio Sprout 100 is a great little amp and would really do these justice. You can't do much better than the Sprout for sound/price, IMO
@@bernsie6323 Oof, that seems like a great piece of equipment, but it's a little out of budget right now. But it was very kind of you to give a recommendation and I'll definitely keep it in mind for upgrading in the future. Thank You!
I'm sure i spelled moore's law wrong. What is your dac amp combo for 3 to 400?
Looking at this review again Z I did I did buy them and they are the cat’s meow ( dating myself)!!!
Just ordered these because of this review. They should arrive tomorrow and I can't wait.
thanks for your funny videos....but at the end what whould you choose between Micca RB42 and Sony SS-CS5,,,i need to get speakers for my living room...just for music, not home theater. thanks
Hey Zeos!! Love your channel! I’m looking for a small/ wife approved set of speakers. I’m familiar with all the micca speakers and am a current owner of a set of Dayton B652s as rear speakers. I’ve noticed that Dayton has come out with some new speaker models.The MK402s specifically caught my eye. Would love for your to review them.
The rb 42’s can’t handle the power it claims I had them on ad 18 and the Emotiva a2mini and when the volume goes up the start to pop
How do these compare against Edifier 1700BT?
I like the rounded look of Polks and it's great to see affordable speakers that ALOS look GUD! I hate speakers with sharp corners! More important...where is the cat???
Hey how are you liking your 64 audio U12t's? And have you ever used them for gaming? And after having them for a few months longer since your review. Are they still worth the $2,000 asking price?